How I Caused PDP’s Defeat In 2015 - Ex President Jonathan
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has taken responsibility
for the Peoples Democratic Party’s defeat in the 2015 presidential election.
He, therefore, said his priority now “is how to ensure that
the Peoples Democratic Party regains the Presidency in 2019.”
Jonathan said this when Chief Olabode George and his
campaign team paid him a courtesy visit in his country home in Otuoke, Bayelsa
State on Tuesday.
A statement by Bode
George Media Office after the meeting quoted the ex-President as saying it was his
responsibility to ensure that the PDP rose again as a strong political platform
to win the next elections.
Jonathan said, “Whether I like it or not, I must take
responsibility for the defeat because I led the party to the election. The only
thing that will make me sleep well is to ensure that the PDP comes back to
power.”
The former President said he was working with other
stakeholders to ensure that the party was well organised to achieve this
purpose though he preferred to work from the back seat.
He said the party must begin to take the right steps in the
right direction to regain the confidence of the electorate, adding that the
mistakes of the past would not be repeated.
Speaking earlier, George, a former deputy national chairman
of PDP who is currently on a nationwide campaign for the chairmanship election
in December 9, had congratulated the former President on his 60th birthday.
George urged the ex-President, as the leader of the party,
to ensure that the PDP emerge stronger from the forthcoming national
convention.
George, however, told the former President that the failure
to apply the micro-zoning principle to the PDP chairmanship position had caused
ripples capable of dividing the party.
He lamented that the party appeared to be drifting as there
was no reasonable justification offered by the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led
National Caretaker Committee for jettisoning the principle, which was applied
to all previous elections to the position.
George also paid a courtesy call on Governor Seriake Dickson
of Bayelsa State at the governor’s office.
He commended the governor for sustaining the confidence,
goodwill and support of the people in his administration and the party.
The governor described the December 9 national convention as
a window of opportunity to put the PDP’s house in order, urging all aspirants
to elective positions as well as the leaders of the party to show tolerance and
patriotism and work together to make the party proud.
He said it was important to ensure a free, fair, credible
and acceptable election.
George was given a rousing reception at the state party
secretariat in Yenagoa where he met with party stakeholders and delegates to
the convention led by the State Chairman, Chief Cleopas Moses.
Source: Punch
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